In a remarkable shakeup, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) has broken away from its longtime marketing partner, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, awarding a $35.2 million, two-year contract for U.S. market outreach to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA).
The choice of a new messaging partner signals a sea change in aims of the HTA, coming at a time of growing concern about the impacts tourism has on Hawaii’s environment, culture and quality of life. The new contract, for what is described as “brand management and visitor education services,” was announced on Thursday.
Now, we anticipate results. In the wake of burgeoning dissatisfaction over tourism’s impact on the islands, HTA and CNHA are expected to make change: to attract tourists who will tread lightly on the land and show respect for Hawaii’s host culture, while supporting homegrown businesses and local enterprise.
Execution by CNHA and its consortium of professionals will be critical, with measurable goals to facilitate oversight.
One source of concern is the process leading up to this contract’s award. The Star-Advertiser’s Allison Schaefers has reported that the Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau won a contract for U.S. services in 2021. After a formal complaint from a group including CNHA, however, the contract was rescinded and a new request for proposals issued.
HTA has refused to provide details on this contract rescission, denying a public information request from the Star-Advertiser. As a public agency that has doled out hundred of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to promote tourism — much of it to the Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau — that is unacceptable.
It’s to be expected that the group assembled to shape CNHA’s tourism messaging has the expertise needed to deliver satisfying results, but without background on the process that brought HTA to this significant decision, and access to the successful proposal, questions remain.
As soon as possible, the contract should be made public. Benchmarks should be established and shared with the public so that there is full transparency of action throughout the contract’s period.
In 2019, Hawaii’s residents fully felt the impact that more than 10 million visitors — a record number — have on island traffic, trails, beaches and open spaces. However, widespread unemployment and economic hardship caused by a halt to tourism forced by the COVID-19 crisis in 2020-21 also made clear that significant pieces of Hawaii’s wealth and well-being are tied to the visitor industry. An uneasy consensus has developed that tourism is needed, but that it should exist in a better state of balance with our island life.
It’s yet unknown how CNHA plans to take on this messaging mission for the HTA, though it has taken an active role in community affairs. Established in 2001, it administers grants and loans to island communities and has distributed COVID-relief funds. The council has also taken a public, active role in pressuring the Department of Hawaiian Homelands on its process for meeting the needs of homestead applicants.
On its website, the CNHA touts “Hulihia,” the 21st annual Native Hawaiian Convention, which will be held in July. “We see moments that are ripe for hulihia, windows where deep transformation will occur. There is perhaps no better time than today, in the anticipated wake of COVID-19, to boldly transform Hawaii,” the council states.
The HTA, and now CNHA, have been charged with producing results, and supporting a healthy, thriving Hawaii, with well-cared-for public spaces and infrastructure, robust economic opportunities and effective environmental stewardship. Should this new consortium move the needle toward this ideal, it will be a welcome transformation indeed.